Confessions Caused by Cactus Juice
by Written Parody
Summary: There is only so much Katara can do to heal a wound in one day, and when Zuko is still in pain from Azula's lightning wound Sokka decides to give him cactus juice to help with the pain. Of course, this has some interesting results. Zutara.
1. Chapter 1

**Confessions Caused By Cactus Juice**

_I shouldn't have written this… I have far too much other things to do. Like my projects, and my Biology notes that I'm FAR behind on… But Ash, who read Anthology of Attraction, PMd me and asked if I could write a oneshot where Zuko is the one to get juiced up, for a change. My muse went into overdrive, and I had it all planned out in my head by the time 30 minutes had passed. _

_So I decided to write it out and post it. Just beware, that this fic is as horrible as the rest of my fics. and Zuko might be very OOC. Because he's juiced or because of my cruddy writing… I don't know myself. Oh and it's kinda cliché, all of it. Sorry for that. _

_The only other thing that I __**must **__say is that the reason Sokka went completely high on the juice is because his personality is already dramatic and funny. Zuko, more… well, 'angsty' (for want of a better word. Sorry, Zuko.) will not react as strongly as Sokka. Which means no giant mushrooms, sorry. The other reason for that is the juice Zuko drinks is diluted. _

_The above paragraph is my excuses to why I couldn't make Zuko as cool on cactus juice as Sokka. I need some form of excuse because otherwise all that people will think when they read this is: FAIL. Sigh. Anyway, enjoy if you can. _

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**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything to do with it. Nor do I own Zutara week, sadly.

The setting sun turned the sky to a million shades of pink and orange, and the girl could not help but stop to admire it. A smile played across her lips as the breeze ruffled her short brunette hair. Looking at the city she could see stretched out below her, she had to admit the Fire Nation was very beautiful.

"Suki."

She turned and her smile became one of welcome as the other figure approached her.

"Hey, Katara. How's he doing?" she added, seeing the armful of bandages the Waterbender was carrying.

A wince crossed Katara's face, and Suki felt a slight pang.

"I can tell it's still really hurting him, even though he's too stubborn to really say anything." She sighed in frustration. "I wish I could heal it properly in one shot. Then he wouldn't be exhausted after only an hour-long treaty signing…"

"I saw him wincing afterwards," Suki said sympathetically. "Do you want me to find Iroh so he can stay with Zuko for the evening?"

"Thanks, but Iroh's going to busy the whole evening with the finer points of the new treaty. Zuko wanted to go along, but between the two of us we managed to get him to listen to us. For once." There was a pause. "Could you excuse me from Sokka's party, please? He won't get mad if _you_ ask. And Zuko really shouldn't be left alone…"

The Kyoshi Warrior looked at the pleading blue eyes and wondered, for about the millionth time, what had happened in the battle with Azula. Zuko and Katara both refused to talk about it, and all the information the rest had was that Zuko had been too late deflecting Azula's lightning and had as a result gotten quite severely wounded. The look Katara got on her face every time somebody brought the battle up and the fact that she was almost devoted to healing Zuko made Suki sure that there was something huge the two were leaving out.

"I'll excuse you," she assured, and Katara beamed at her. "But just remember that Zuko is going to be healed soon."

Katara's face became very confused.

"What do you…?"

"I mean that when he doesn't need somebody around to keep him from stubbornly refusing to rest you won't be able to use him as an excuse any more. Then you'll have to face Aang."

Katara's face flushed bright red and she looked away quickly so she did not have to look into Suki's knowing eyes. An image of Aang's hurt expression swam before her and her chest felt tight with guilt.

"Just tell him." Suki's voice was gentle. "He'll understand… eventually. Just tell him."

"He's like my little brother…" Katara whispered softly. "But he really… During the interval at the Ember Island Players' show… And a week ago when we were at the Earth Kingdom… I just didn't feel…" She broke off miserably.

Suki squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. The Waterbender managed a small smile at her friend. Everything was so complicated between her and Aang right then, and she doubted he noticed it at all. She knew it was wrong, but she needed to use Zuko as an excuse until she could figure out what to say to the Avatar. And so, avoiding the other girl's gaze so she wouldn't see the understanding there, she said another thanks to Suki and then hurried to the infirmary to drop off her load of bandages. On her way back to Zuko's room she was surprised to run into her brother. When asked what he was doing Sokka looked guilty and mumbled that he was visiting his friend, before he hastily took off again. Katara was still suspicious as she pushed open the great doors leading to Zuko's chambers, but she found no destruction within.

"Hey," she smiled. "How you feeling?"

Zuko looked rather fed-up as he lay propped up in his massive bed. She could see he really hated having to lie still and be quiet, even though the grey tinge to his face told her how much the wound hurt him still.

"Very bored," he scowled. "I'm considering asking Uncle if I can have his room, because I already know every dust particle in this one."

She grinned, half amused and half sympathetic.

"Well then, I guess I'm your saviour. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep and save you from dying of boredom."

"Ugh… I think I prefer the dying of boredom…"

She gave him a withering glare, and the corners of his mouth twitched in response. With a derisive sniff she grabbed a chair and plonked it beside his bed before seating herself firmly in it. Then she fixed Zuko with a fierce stare to show him she was going nowhere. Zuko's shoulders began to shake and then he suddenly let out a snort of laughter. She narrowed her eyes and was about to yell at him when his face twisted in pain. She winced with him and wished again that she could do something to help.

"You okay?" Her voice was worried.

He nodded, looking like he wished he could take the facial expression back. Then his face lightened as his eyes fell on a goblet on the table next to bed. He picked it up and gave it a curious sniff.

"What is it?" Katara asked curiously, intrigued by his actions.

"I have no clue," Zuko said, swirling the contents of the goblet around. "Sokka gave it to me. He said it will help with… the pain."

Zuko forced the last bit out like he was admitting a great weakness but Katara wasn't paying attention to him any more. She was instead thinking back to her brother's guilty behaviour, now understanding it. She was about to wonder out loud what Sokka brought when Zuko took a large sip.

"Uh maybe you should have let me take a look at that first…"

"He won't poison me."

"Maybe not intentionally, but given Sokka's knowledge of plants…" Zuko took another sip. "How does it taste?"

Zuko contemplated a while before answering, "It tastes… weird. Neither good nor bad… Like flavoured water…"

"Huh…" Katara was frowning.

"It's very thirst-quenching, though," Zuko said with a mild look at the goblet.

The phrase sounded familiar, and her frown deepened as she tried to place it. Zuko's rather goofy expression as he looked at the goblet made comprehension dawn on her, and she took the goblet away and sniffed it.

"He gave you _cactus juice!_ When I get my hands on him…"

"Is that bad?" Zuko blinked at her, looking very innocent.

"Well… It depends how you look at it… It's not _harmful_ but… Now I definitely need to stay with you. Just to make sure you don't start seeing giant mushrooms."

"A giant mushroom?" Zuko looked thoughtful. "That would need really big chopsticks to eat… Unless it landed in the sea, then we'd have to fight the fish… And have to learn how to breathe and eat underwater…"

"Err… Right…"

Katara looked at him closely. He appeared to be alright, and she was very relieved to see that the juice was not affecting him as badly as it had affected Sokka. He still had a rather dazed expression on his face, like he wasn't altogether there. On the other hand, the colour had returned to his face and he seemed to be breathing easier. If it helped him, then she could handle the weirdness. For a while he just made some strange comments about people's clothes and eating habits, sometimes with noises to demonstrate. Katara was mercifully able to keep a straight face through most of it, reminding herself she hadn't laughed at Sokka and that Zuko would probably feel bad enough when he woke up in the morning and remembered what he'd said without her laughing at him. That is, if he remembered anything at all.

After about twenty minutes, however, she noticed his eyelids beginning to droop a bit. When she asked if he was tired, however, he stubbornly denied the fact and she rolled her eyes, thinking that not even cactus juice could change some things. She suddenly had an idea that she never would have seriously considered if Zuko had been fully there.

"Do you want me to sing you a lullaby? Maybe that will make you tired; you need your rest."

"Are you a better singer than Uncle?" He looked a little weary, but Katara noted with surprise that he had not dismissed the idea at once as she had expected.

"Err… I don't know. And I don't really know any good lullabies either…" she admitted sheepishly.

"I know one. Want to hear it?"

She smiled and nodded, realizing the situation she was in was less likely to occur than the desert freezing over. Even though he was a bit drugged, Zuko still looked a little embarrassed and shifted, blushed and fidgeted before he actually began.

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow, like fragile, tiny shells drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, comes marching home."

Katara managed not to giggle, even though Zuko did not really sing very well. It was sweet, actually.

"That was very nice," she complimented.

"Uncle used to sing it to me all the time." Zuko was quiet for a while. "He used to sing it to my cousin. It's more Lu Ten's song than mine. I never had a song. If I did, it would probably been of Tuleducks"

"You have a cousin?" Katara was utterly thrown.

"I had one." Zuko's voice was still quiet, and his eyes stared at her without really seeing her. "He died in the war. He was a solider prince. He was going to be next in line after Uncle took the throne but then he died and Uncle..."

"He never… mentioned he was supposed to be Fire Lord," Katara all but whispered.

"My f… Ozai… he told my grandfather Uncle was unfit to rule. Apparently Lu Ten dying really… really hit him hard…Like a landslide of falling rocks…" Zuko whispered. "Azulon didn't like Ozai's ruthlessness and threatened to show him what it felt like to lose a son." Katara's intake of breath was ignored. "My mother… To save me…" Zuko broke off and for a long time was silent. Then he added, "Uncle came to live here, in the palace, two days after my mother left."

Understanding hit her with the force of a boulder. She had always been slightly puzzled at the bond between Iroh and his nephew; there had always seemed to be something there she could not place a finger on. Now she saw what it was: Iroh had been utterly shattered and was in need of a son. He had come back to the palace to find Zuko, who was left utterly alone and who was in need of a parent seeing as the only one who had ever cared had just left. The two had healed each other, filling the gaps life had made. And no matter what Zuko did or said, he would love Iroh more than anybody would ever really know.

"Was he a lot like Iroh?" Katara found herself asking, genuinely curious about the son of one of the nicest people she'd ever met.

"I don't really remember him… He was a lot older than me… A lot hairier too… But I do remember he always listened to Uncle." A slightly self-mocking smile played across Zuko's face. "That made him a really great man. Even though I know that, I never bothered learning from him…" Zuko's voice was soft again, like he was talking to himself and had completely forgotten Katara was in the room. "If I had listened to Uncle… A lot of things would be different. Aang would have learned Firebending quicker, the pirates would never have destroyed my ship…" His face turned utterly blank. "_That _day wouldn't have happened at all… I wouldn't have been…"

His fingers absently touched his scar, his face still blank and his eyes seeing something from many years back. Katara was barely daring to breathe; he had _never _spoken about his scar before. She took a deep breath but did not say anything as guilt engulfed her. If Zuko was totally sober he wouldn't be saying such things. To take advantage of his state would be beyond wrong… But she could not stop herself. This was the only opportunity she would probably ever get, and she couldn't let it go.

"What happened that day?" she asked him gently, pushing her guilt away.

Zuko was quiet for a while, staring at his hands twisting together. Even in his befuddled state he still shut her out of that particular memory. And she wouldn't push any more, no matter how curious she was. Finally Zuko began to tell her, in a monotone like he was reading something boring out loud.

"Ozai was having a war meeting and I wanted to attend. The guards wouldn't let me in and Uncle heard me arguing with them. He told me it wasn't a good idea, that I'd be bored with all the war talk. But I wanted to go in. I wanted to learn, because if I didn't how was I supposed to rule right? In the meeting they talked about sending inexperienced troops… Well, the gist of it is that an entire division of soldiers would die for no reason. I couldn't help but think about all those families that would lose a son or father or brother… I stood up and told them they couldn't just slaughter good Fire Nation people like they're animals. The council had an uproar, saying that I challenged the general and so had to fight him."

He fell silent again, his hands balling into fists and his face twisting. Then he shut his eyes and his expression became neutral again before he continued emotionlessly.

"The general was old and with Uncle's Firebending training… I was sure I could take him. But when I stood in the arena with most of the nobles and some of the citizens watching… It wasn't the general who faced me, though. It was my… my father. Apparently I had challenged his rule when I spoke out. I didn't want to fight him… I was thirteen and he was powerful… Also fighting him would just bring on problems, more arguments, more reason for him to hate me. So I begged. I begged him not to fight me. I literally… got down on my hands and knees and begged. He told me I had dishonoured myself by refusing to fight. For that I was banished from the Fire Nation and I could only return when I captured the Avatar. He also wanted to give me a reminder, something to make sure I never forgot. So he…"

He trailed off and gestured to his eye. Then, for the first time in a long while he looked at Katara. She wanted to say something, but she had forgotten how to talk. She felt like she was glued to her seat in utter, earth-shattering shock. Zuko frowned.

"Katara? Are you… Are you leaking?"

She raised a shaking hand to wipe away her tears, knowing he didn't understand the reaction. He had spoken without any emotion or elaboration at all, but she did not need either to imagine it. She could almost see the fear on his face, almost taste his humiliation. She remembered his expression once when he was yelling at Aang, telling him Ozai was ruthless and could not be underestimated, and she suddenly understood it. He had known, all along, what his father was capable of and he'd tried so hard to protect them. She saw his scar and remembered touching it at Ba Sing Se, wondering then what he had done to himself. She couldn't even begin to imagine how much it had hurt. She suddenly felt so terribly sorry for Zuko, and was left wondering what he'd ever done to deserve the life he had been forced to live.

A sob shuddered through her body and Zuko's face became even more bewildered. Then he suddenly leaned forward, wincing a bit, and pulled her by her arm off her chair and towards his bed.

"Hey…" Gentle fingers brushed away her tears. "There's no need to cry… I'm… I'm sorry I told you that…"

"How could you want to come back to him?" she sniffed, her voice thick with tears. "You actually wanted to come back to him…"

Zuko looked away from her, as though he was thinking hard or struggling with words.

"My mom loved him… I know she did. And if she did, there had to be something in him that _could _be loved. That and this place, this throne…" He took a deep breath. "It was where she was. Not so much her body, but… _her_. Her memory. And I wanted to make her proud. I wanted the throne so I'd continue her legacy, make this country right again… That sounds stupid, doesn't it? Like flying Pi Sho tiles." His smile was crooked.

"No, it doesn't. I understand what you mean. Well, not about the flying tiles…" Their eyes met and he absently brushed some of her hair back that was stuck to the tear-tracks on her cheeks. "That's why you did what you did at Ba Sing Se?"

He flinched like he'd been hit and she immediately opened her mouth to apologise but he beat her to it.

"Yes. That and Azula… She's always been able to manipulate me into doing things. I just wanted to belong here so much… I'm sorry," he mumbled.

She shook her head, brushing aside his millionth apology. She shifted her hand slightly to the left and suddenly found it was touching his hand. Both of them stared at their touching hands and then they looked up into each other's face. The candlelight made Zuko's eyes dance slightly, like they were tiny bits of fire themselves. She had realized recently, especially since she had started healing him, how attractive he was. Not only physically, even though the training with Aang had really made him fill out. There was also something about him, about his arrogance and his pride that drew her in. He was free, yet caged and had the air around him that he could beat the whole world even though she could see that, deep down, he knew just how cruel life could be.

He was looking at her now with a slightly dazed look, and she realized that the cactus juice and his tiredness was making him slowly slip into sleep. She smiled at the unusual child-like look to his face, glad that the juice had not made him start hallucinating strange things in his room. He noticed her smile and his hand started to raise, like he wanted to stroke the corners of her mouth, but he suddenly stopped and something in his eyes closed off.

"Why do you do that?" Katara whispered, her brow furrowing. "You did that every time the topic of your past came up, and now I can understand why. But I still don't get what you could possibly find the need to hide when we're just talking." He looked like he was contemplating opening up. "Please? Just tell me what you want to say."

"You're…" He swallowed. "You're really, really beautiful." Shock hit her full on, and she could feel herself start to blush. "And you have really pretty eyes." With a touch so light she could barely feel his fingers he stroked the corners of one of her eyes. "I liked the sea when I first set off to look for Aang. After two years I hated it but the colour of your eyes remind me of the early days… And I love how they turn icey when you get mad." He chuckled slightly, a soft look she had never seen him wear coming to his face. "Actually I find you extremely cute when you're angry; your inner fire comes out. If I didn't know any better I'd think you were a Firebender when you fight."

She swallowed, again forgetting how to talk. A part of her brain wondered if it was only the juice that was making him say all that stuff. But she ignored that part; she didn't like it at all. Zuko had fallen silent and she egged him on with her eyes. He seemed hesitant but carried on anyway.

"I hid what I feel because we had to focus on the war. But I was so jealous of Aang sometimes, because he was able to look at you in such a devoted way. He was allowed to love you. And I, the traitor, the outsider… I had Mai, but I was able to forget about her _kissing_ me every time you _smiled_ at me."

She occupied her thoughts by reminding herself how to breathe properly and not pass out from shock. Her gaze never left his, though, and she could see the alertness in his eyes underneath the layer of haze the cactus juice and tiredness created.

"You should go to bed," she finally said.

Gently she helped him to lie down, purposefully looking away so she wouldn't have to see him grimace. Her mind was in a turmoil and her hands were actually shaking. Zuko noticed and a bitter smile suddenly crossed his face, making her look at him again.

"I shouldn't have said that. Now things are going to be reeeeeally awkward in the morning."

A slightly hysterical giggle escaped her throat, but Zuko didn't seem to notice. Already his eyelids were drooping and she suspected it would only take a few minutes for him to be out like a light. She decided to leave right then and headed towards the door. She touched the door and then hesitated, looking back at a peacefully sleeping Zuko. She smiled and pushed the door open. She would wait until he was sober and awake before she told him she felt the same way about him.

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EPIC FAIL


	2. Chapter 2

_Oh. My. Gosh. I cannot believe people actually LIKED that… I totally have to be dreaming… What the fudge… I've had like 8 people beg for a second chapter. Not that I understand WHY they want another dose, but hey everything I do I do for the readers. So here's your second chapter that you so badly wanted, written very quickly in my computer applications class so that I can get it done before this week of tests and insane projects starts. _

_I sincerely hope you guys like this one too- it isn't as epic fail as the first one. In my opinion anyway. I mean I actually grinned while writing this one. Much, much, much insane love to all those who loved the first chapter. You guys totally blew my brain *huggle*  
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**Disclaimer: **I do not own A:TLA or anything related. Maybe I do own the slightly OOC Sokka and Zuko of this chapter… Maybe…

The rising sun sent brilliant, stretching rays all over the Fire Nation, creeping in the closed blinds and waking most of the sleeping people. Suki awoke and lay in bed with her eyes closed, wondering how to get Sokka awake this time; he had grown immune to her previously used methods. She wanted to find a club to clobber her boyfriend with. Toph woke up and grinned impishly, thinking of the ambush she had planned for Zuko's toughest guards later that day. She wanted to go and hide inside the nook in the stable wall at that very moment. Aang awoke and wondered if today was the day Katara spent some time with him so he could kiss her again. He wanted to make Katara breakfast in bed and have a nice, long talk with her. Katara woke up and lay on her side, a warm fuzzy feeling creeping through her as she giggled quietly to herself as she remembered the previous night. She wanted to relive the whole experience, or at least talk to Zuko about it. Zuko woke up and wondered when he had fallen asleep. Confused, he picked up the goblet next to his bed and sniffed its contents. The smell of the juice brought everything back in one sharp blow.

He wanted to throw himself off a cliff.

_Oh Agni no… Oh no please… OH f… _

He grabbed his pillow and shoved it over his face, calling himself every name he knew in his head.

_Stupid, stupid, STUPID! Now she's going to act all weird around you… And so is everybody else… You've just blown it, _again_. Why didn't you keep your mouth shut? Then you could have at least remained friends with her. AGH YOU IDIOT! _

He knew he'd have to talk about it with Katara. With this knowledge in his head Zuko, the great and powerful Fire Lord, handled the issue in the best way he knew how.

He avoided it like it was the Black Death.

He got up right then, gritting his teeth as he pulled on his own top instead of waiting for Katara to come and help him, like he had done every other morning. Then he left his room to go and mooch somewhere nobody but his all-knowing uncle would find him. When Katara, nervous but excited, arrived at his room an hour later ready to both help him and tell him how she felt she found his room very empty. Disappointment surged through her, but she told herself she'd just talk to him after breakfast, when everybody else had gone. Zuko wasn't at breakfast. When, by noon, she hadn't even seen him once she knew he was avoiding her. This made her both anxious- what if he hadn't meant what he said? What if he'd thought about it and realized she _was_ just a friend to him?- and rather ticked off. As her mood got steadily worse as the hours wore on and Zuko avoided her like she had some contagious sickness, the others picked up that something was wrong. They had no idea _what _but they could tell everything wasn't right between the Fire Lord and the Waterbender.

As the sun began to set Katara's mood became smug; she had to heal him that evening, and nothing he could do would get him out of that. Zuko realized this fact at about the same time and he went so pale that Iroh, in alarm, asked Zuko if he wanted to sit down. The rest of the gaang, unnoticed by a very smugly grinning Katara, huddled together and had a whispered discussion wherein they decided to go with Katara when she healed Zuko to make sure the two didn't end up fighting.

When the time came for the nightly healing session Zuko felt like he might just throw up. He was sitting on his bed, cursing Agni, himself and cactus juice in his head when Katara came in with fresh bandages. As usual his heart leapt at the sight of her, but that reaction was quickly drowned out by the sinking feeling in his stomach. Katara looked at him, opened her mouth to speak and then frowned and turned around as voices sounded. The rest of the gaang entered Zuko's room cheerfully, making lame excuses about 'learning' and 'being curious' as they did.

_Crap! They're going to be here the whole time! Now I won't be able to talk to him! _

_Oh thank Agni! They're going to be here the whole time! Now she won't be able to talk to me! _

With a disappointed sigh Katara gently helped Zuko remove his shirt, wincing again with him. The bandages were, to her relief, free of blood, but the wound still looked raw. Katara gloved her hands in water and then pressed them gently to Zuko's chest, closing her eyes as she concentrated fully on healing him. Sokka noticed the change in Zuko's expression and also saw how the slight grey tinge disappeared completely when Katara healed him.

"Hey, Zuko. If you want I could give you some more of that… er… potion to help you out?"

"No!" Everyone stared at Zuko in surprise. "I mean, no, thanks, Sokka. I'm fine."

He tried very hard not to blush even a little bit. Katara, however, saw the pinkness in his cheeks and smirked. It served him right for what he had done the previous night.

"Yeah," she agreed in a slightly spiteful voice. "You never know what little servant girl might come in here and hear something life-changing. Like… oh… I don't know… that some king _loves _her."

Zuko's teeth snapped together and it was all he could do to stop himself banging his head against something solid. He _knew _it… She would never forgive him for this…

"Well maybe the servant girl should take it into account that people say things when drunk," he sullenly tried to apologize.

Katara's eyes sparked with anger, but inside she felt like she was breaking. She had been right. He was avoiding her because he regretted what he'd said the night before. She pushed away her pain and instead reacted in annoyance.

"Well _maybe _the king should have _thought _of what he was saying before he did. Even intoxicated he should have realized that his thoughtless words would hurt the girl."

She had stopped healing him and was instead standing with her hands on her hips in front of him. The rest of the gaang looked on, utterly confused and utterly forgotten by Zuko and Katara. They were only aware of one another.

"Well maybe the servant girl shouldn't have prodded, then the king wouldn't have said _anything_." He was starting to get irritated too.

Katara flushed guiltily but refused to be the one feeling bad.

"Well maybe the girl didn't know it would be something like _that _that the king said! Because the king sure as heck never showed any signs of it before!"

"_What?_" Now Zuko really was mad. He stood up so that he was the one towering above Katara now, ignoring the stabbing pain in his chest. "Well maybe if the servant girl had been just a _bit _more observant she would have noticed that the king had _so _shown signs of it before. So much so, in fact, that he was worried that others would see it. And, yeah, he didn't _say _anything before, because he was sure the servant girl would act like she is and the confession would _ruin _even the little bit of a relationship he had with her."

_Wait… He thinks I'm mad at him because I don't feel the same way? _

The same warm, fuzzy feeling she had felt that morning ran through her as Zuko continued to prattle on in circles about apologising to the servant girl. She wanted to laugh out loud, so great was her joy.

"Zuko," she said loudly, trying to interrupt him. But Zuko just talked faster so she wasn't really sure what he was saying any more. "Zuko!" She tried again, and was again ignored. "Zu- ZUKO!"

A frustrated sigh escaped her before she stepped forwards and shut him up by kissing him, fiercely, directly on the lips. He stopped talking at once and after a few shivering moments of pure shock he kissed her back, not caring why she'd had the 'sudden change of heart'. Katara, meanwhile, was trying to remember yet again how to breathe. She vaguely thought it was very ironic that it was the Firebender and not the Airbender that took her breath away so frequently. How long they stood with their lips entwined she didn't know, all she was sure of was that it was far too short for her liking. When they broke away Zuko stared at her completely dumbfounded.

"Will you sit down and shut up now?" she asked him, breathless.

He nodded dumbly and sunk back onto the bed, looking like he'd just been clubbed around the head. She smiled, utterly exuberant, and turned back to her bowl of water. It was then that she noticed the rest of the gaang staring at her with wide eyes and mouths as wide open as dead fish.

"Oh… Right… You're… You're still here…" Her voice sounded very squeaky, and she suddenly felt slightly faint.

There was another moment of utter silence before a slightly strangled noise came out of somebody. Katara looked fearfully at her brother, but it hadn't been Sokka, as it was proved a second later when Toph exploded into laughter.

"I _knew _it! Oh my gosh I _knew _this would happen!"

She was practically rolling around, issuing very loud peals of laughter. Aang stood up, utterly silent, and walked out without a word. Katara bit her lip as she watched him go, her heart twisting inside her chest.

"Sokka, breathe."

Suki's voice brought her gaze back to the room. Sokka was slowly turning purple, his mouth opening and shutting soundlessly as he pointed at Zuko accusingly. Over Sokka's shoulder, Suki gave Katara a huge grin. Toph was still laughing.

"You…" Sokka finally managed. "I… You… Katara… _My sister_… I'm gonna… When I get my hands on you…"

Katara caught him as he made a lunge for Zuko.

"Sokka, outside," she said through clenched teeth. "_**NOW!**_"

Roughly she pushed him out the door and a chuckling Toph followed, practically skipping in her glee. Suki glanced at Zuko as she headed towards the door. His face was blank and apprehensive, like he was going to be sent to prison sometime soon.

"Hey." He looked up at her. "Don't worry, we'll sort the guys out. So show how you're _really _feeling."

The nervous look disappeared and was replaced with the most brilliant grin Suki had ever seen Zuko wear. It made his eyes burn intensely, like they sometimes did when he was fighting. The Kyoshi warrior nodded in approval and then left. Sokka and Katara were standing a meter apart from each other, faces red, hands clenched. They were both yelling at the same time so their words clashed together and lost all meaning. Toph stood near to them, ready to step in if things got physical.

"HOW ON EARTH COULD YOU-"

"IT'S _MY _LIFE! I'M SICK OF YOU-"

"HE'S FIRE NATION! THE E-"

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT! HE'S YOUR _FRIEND_! ENEMY MY-"

"HE'S A MAN! MEN ARE NOTHING BUT TROUBLE! HE IS GOING TO-"

"HE'S NOT GOING TO DO A THING! YOU JUST CAN'T GET OVER YOUR INSECURITY! IF YOU JUST _THINK _FOR A SECOND YOU'LL SEE YOU _KNOW _ZUKO WILL _NEVER _HURT ME INTENTIONALLY!"

"Sokka, Katara's completely right," Suki said loudly before the screaming match could continue. "Just relax for a second and remember this is _Zuko _we're talking about."

"You _told _me he was one of your best friends," Toph put in calmly. "And you were there all the times he saved her, looked after her…"

"But… but… You're…" Sokka spluttered.

"Sokka." Suki took his face in her hands. "I know you're scared for her. But she's found what you and I have. Don't you want that for her?"

Sokka's anger seemed to leak out of his body and he suddenly looked rather pained. He looked at his sister with a crumpled expression.

"You're growing up too fast…" he mumbled. She gave him a soft smile and then walked forwards and hugged him tight. Sokka groaned. "Dammit now I have to let Jerkbender have you…"

"It's really got nothing to do with you," Katara mumbled into his shirt.

He pushed her back so he could see her face.

"You really… love him?" She nodded. "Really, really?"

"Sokka!"

"Okay, okay." He sighed. "I had to make sure…" He seemed to struggle a little bit longer. "How do I know he'll really look after you."

She looked at him for a moment, glanced at Zuko's closed door and bit her lip.

"Azula… In the battle she shot lighting at me. She wanted to get me out of the way, probably so that I wouldn't be able to heal anybody. Zuko… Zuko jumped in front of me and… took the attack himself… It was too sudden… He couldn't deflect it properly… It seared right through him." Her voice broke. "He was flung to the side and lay there… twitching… If I had been a few minutes later he would have…"

"He got that from saving you?" Sokka's voice was quiet.

His sister nodded, her eyes begging him to understand. And he did, even though a big part of him didn't want to. He smiled a small smile at her, and Katara grinned back, realizing he had given in. Sokka suddenly squared his shoulders.

"Right. Now I'm going to have a few words with the Jerkbender. Just because I kinda think it's sort of okay, doesn't mean he doesn't have rules to follow."

He marched back into Zuko's room with his war face on. Suki giggled.

"We'll go make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. You go…"

She trailed off and looked up the hall. The figure of Aang could just be seen huddled in one of the windows. Katara swallowed but nodded and Suki squeezed her arm before her and Toph went after Sokka.

"Aang?" Her voice was soft.

"I got a lightning wound from saving you, too."

She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Aang… It's not about that. I know you saved me… And I'll be forever grateful for that… But Zuko…"

"You don't see him as a little brother, right." His tone was bitter and cold. "I should have known as soon as we saw the Ember Island Players."

"Aang…" She reached out to touch him, but he jerked away. "I do love you. A lot. Just not in that way. And I don't think you _really _do either. I know you have a crush on me, but I think if you really think about it you'll see that it's not…" She struggled to find words. "We'll always be closer than anybody can understand, but not in _that _way." He said nothing. "Please say something…"

He remained obstinately silent and she sighed again before turning to leave. She felt miserable that she had hurt Aang; she had never wanted to. She stopped at another window and shut her eyes.

Yue… Please… Let him find the one for him… You know she's out there…

She let five tears fall for Aang and what could have been, even though she knew it never would have been real. Then she took a deep breath and returned to Zuko's room, only to find Zuko nowhere in sight.

"Wha…? Where's Zuko? _Sokka!_"

"It wasn't me!" he protested, raising his hands to fend her off. "His council called a meeting."

"At this time of night?" She frowned. "I didn't heal him properly yet…"

"We'll go fetch him, then you can take out your anger on the old croons," Toph suggested cheerfully. But as they left she hesitated. "Uh, Katara? Can I go…?"

"Sure. Thanks, Toph."

The blind girl shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatev. I just figure I'm better at knocking sense into people than you."

Katara watched Toph head towards Aang, and a suddenly knowing smile crossed her face. She silently thanked Yue as she continued on to the meeting room.

***

The Fire Nation meeting chamber was a bland place, and they had all wondered why it did not have the pictures or antique weapons on its walls like the rest of the palace. The mystery had been solved by Toph, who had one day exclaimed:

"I now understand why there're no weapons in that place… Some of them were so frustrated if there were any weapons on the wall some people would have been seriously dead…"

When the gaang were ushered in by Iroh, who told them that they had the right to hear the issues of the Fire Nation, several of the old council members were having a heated debate and Zuko looked like he wanted to drown himself out of sheer frustration.

"This recent attacks on our immigrants just proves that we need better international relations!" one roared, waving his hands around.

"Hear hear!" another bellowed.

"You two have gone too soft!" a third one spat. "We have given so much to the other nations already! To give more would mean our economy suffers even more!"

"Well if we just let it be then our _people _will suffer even more!"

"What if we cut out the import of the wine?" One tentatively suggested.

There was an uproar at this and Zuko banged his head against the table. Sokka was snorting with barely suppressed laughter. The council members continued to argue, their voices rising louder and louder until they were flat out yelling, mostly three at a time. Zuko was not even bothering to call them to order, knowing they had to get rid of their anger before he could discuss things calmly with them. Toph was suddenly there, and she stamped hard on Katara's foot.

"Ow! What was _that _for?"

"You can stop all this!" Toph rolled her sightless eyes as Katara's heart showed her confusion. "Hello! You're from the _Water Tribe_. So you're part of foreign relations. And what will appease people better from other nations than a Water Tribe girl, sworn enemy of the old Fire Nation -and one that _happens_ to be great friends with the Avatar- who is _such _good friends with the Fire Lord…"

Katara clicked. Blushing but determined she tried to get everybody's attention. But people had risen to their feet by then, and even Zuko was standing up, yelling at some people to calm down. Finally Toph stamped hard on the ground and it rolled, causing most of the people to make windmill motions to stay on their feet.

"Thanks," Katara told Toph, who grinned. The Waterbender took a deep breath and walked over to Zuko, the only person who hadn't sat down again. "Your arguments aren't relevant," she told them calmly. One guy started to answer her back but Zuko gave him such a withering look that he shut up at once. "They're not relevant at all because… Well…" She blushed. "I know the leaders of the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes personally and I can assure you that international relations will grow much better when they see that I am…" She tried to ignore Suki and Toph sniggering at the back because of her awkward speech. "That I'm with Zuko."

The council people's faces remained blank. Zuko refrained from rolling his eyes and instead, very pointedly, took Katara's hand in his. Understanding flashed across all their faces, but it was quickly replaced with utter shock. Iroh was beaming so hard it looked as if his face was about to split in two, and Katara was sure there were tears in his eyes.

"But… I still do not know if it will make such an impact…" one council member said hesitantly, not wanting to make Zuko angry.

"It will if the Avatar gives them his blessing," said Aang's voice from the door.

Katara and Zuko looked at him. For a long moment their eyes met, then Aang gave a small, only slightly sad smile, before bowing to both of them.

"Well, that's sorted then," Zuko said cheerfully.

Then he towed Katara out the door, their hands firmly joined. Both of them were trying very, very hard not to laugh at the expressions on the council members' faces.

* * *

THE END


End file.
